We've arrived

 Buongiorno!

It's been over 5 months since my last update.  We thought we would live in the apartment 6 weeks, but that turned into 5 months.  It was long and frustrating but we reached the end of the tunnel and I'm now sitting in Italy drinking coffee on the patio.  I guess it was worth the wait!  

We arrived on Tuesday morning and I'm pretty sure since then I've slept about 8 hours total. Jet lag is rough!  The kids finally slept through the night last night.  So maybe Josh and I are close too!  

The boys started school and the first day seemed to be great!  They are going to the International School in Bologna and have already made some friends.  I've met several people as well and everyone is so friendly!  We're all in the same boat and everyone just "gets it".  They get the frustrations and the delay, the different food and the tired kids.  So I think we will fit in just fine!  

                                                

People have been asking lots of questions so I thought I would try and answer some.  The time change is 7 hours ahead of Iowa time.  The weather has been in the upper 80s and low 90s for the first few days.  There is no air conditioning so that is an adjustment.  We just sweat a lot!  I learned yesterday that Italians think that cold air on your neck will make you sick.  So Italians are still sending their kids to school with undershirts and extra clothing even in the 90s.  

Our house is in the hills of Bologna, its about a 15 minute drive into school.  Which is only about 1.5 miles away.  Traffic is ok when it isn't rush hour.  Parking is insane, but the school does have a mini parking lot.  But I actually had to wait for someone to leave before I could leave today.  Think Austin Powers